Disabilities Professionals from Armenia to Visit Boston

CYSCA to Host “Open World” Program for Young Professionals CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Five young professionals from Armenia will be in Boston May 22-29, to participate in a grant program focused on inclusion of people with disabilities, hosted by the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA). They will be accompanied by a facilitator, who will assist them in orientation with customs and traditions in the U.S. Funding support will be provided by the Open World Leadership Center, a legislative branch agency, who administers the Open World program. The Open World program conducts exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between the up-and-coming leaders of Open World countries and Americans dedicated to showcasing U.S. values and democratic institutions. The program, initiated by Open World and implemented by CYSCA, aims to give the participants first-hand exposure to America’s democratic government and free-market system to international leaders as an instrument for Americans engaged in citizens’ diplomacy. A key goal of the program is to develop leadership capability of young professionals in disability organizations by engaging them with American counterparts. CYSCA has designed a program of visits/meetings with various organizations/individuals in the Greater Boston area, including Perkins School for the Blind, State Committee on Disabilities, City of Cambridge Disability Commission, UMass Boston Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston Center for Independent Living, office of U.S. Representative Katherine Clark, and numerous other organizations and individuals. Presentations at the various meetings planned by CYSCA will engage the participants in disability issues, showing how they can become community leaders in a society where inclusion can be beneficial, especially in Armenia. The participants are from various backgrounds and were selected by Open World and vetted by the U.S. Embassy. “We look forward to meeting these outstanding young professionals and introducing them to local counterparts to help them develop their skills and gain knowledge and understanding of issues facing individuals with disabilities in our area,” stated CYSCA Program Director Alisa Stepanian. A panel discussion on May 26 at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR -395 Concord Ave., Belmont) will showcase the participants and their experiences in Armenia and what they have learned in their visit to the U.S. About CYSCA CYSCA is a sister city association partnered with the city of Yerevan since 1987. Over the past 28 plus years, CYSCA has hosted over 21 professional development programs, ten school partnerships/student and teacher exchanges, environmental programs, school aid projects, business/entrepreneurship training, and numerous cultural and humanitarian assistance projects for Armenia. CYSCA is a non-profit organization based on the premise that citizen’s exchanges on shared values transcend political and other governmental hurdles in our worldwide societies in the furtherance of civil rights and democratic principles. For more information about the OW program contact Alisa Stepanian at asteoanian@aol.com or Jack Medzorian at jmedzorian@aol.com or about CYSCA www.cysca.org. Open World supports Congressional outreach to their counterparts abroad. It conducts exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between the up-and-coming leaders of Open World countries and Americans dedicated to showcasing U.S. values and democratic institutions. The U.S. Congress established Open World in 1999.

Disabilities Professionals from Armenia to Visit Boston

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